


Say You Love Me Already

by hoverboarddinosaur



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: F/F, High School, M/M, Multi, Redemption, canonverse, dipper is a nerd in every way, human! Bill, sort-of reincarnation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-23
Updated: 2017-10-11
Packaged: 2018-07-26 06:45:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 15
Words: 15,307
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7564240
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hoverboarddinosaur/pseuds/hoverboarddinosaur
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Space demons don't die.</p><p>The lose all their powers and can only regain them if a certain person says 'I love you.....'</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

After burning in Stanley's mind, Bill didn't really feel anything at all. He simply floated around an empty space, nit fully conscious as he kept his only eye closed in a sea of numbness.

It may have only been a moment, or it could've been a year, but after some amount of time, Bill opened his only eye. It was sort of like waking up from a long nap and not knowing where one is or what year it is, except the space demon genuinely didn't know either of these things. All he knew was that, somehow, he was alive, and that he was surrounded by blue.

Very soon after opening his eye, the blue vanished ina flash, revealing a world of pure white.

"Hey, what's the big idea?" Bill asked. "I don't like white."

The yellow triangle snapped his fingers in an attempt to make his surroundings yellow, but with no luck. He snapped his black fingers again and again, but his reality-warping powers seemed to have no affect on the color of the space, or anything, for that matter.

"Okay, that's it, who is DOING THIS?" he shrieked.

A booming voice replied, "God."

Bill scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Hate to break it to you, pal,but the only 'god' here is me!"

There was a snapping sound, and then Bill experienced several sensations at once. A million knives pierced into his body, bringing a wave of hopelessness and depression. Simultaneously, he felt heavy rain pouring onto him, each drop as heavy as a bus and it each splatter stung him like acid.

Those sensations seemed to last a million years, but with another snap they were gone. Bill panted with breath he didn't know he had, and a single, painful tear fell from his eye.

"Trust me, Bill Cipher, king of the fifth planet from Sirius," the booming voice said, "I am God."

Bill nodded. "All right, so whaddya want from me? Not powe, cuz you seem to have lots of that."

"You're supposed to be dead, Cipher."

"Yeah, I figured. So why am I not?"

"You're tough to judge, that's why. While you did do several horrible things, your intention was or everyone to have fun. You should spend the rest of eternity in purgatory, but unfortunately for you, Cipher, I will not let you off so easily.

"You're going to have to work for your happiness. I'm going to send you down to Earth, stripped of your powers, in a human body. You cannot regain your powers until you make a human genuinely say, 'I love you.'"

Bill laughed. "All I have to do is make a puny mortal fall in love with me? With my good looks and charms, that'll be easy!"

"This particular human will be challenging, Cipher. I wish you luck with him, because you will need it. Goodbye."

Before he could say a word, Bill felt his eyelid being forced shut. He half-heartedly tried to prevent its closing, but in the end, he didn't really care.

When he opened his eye- no, his EYES- he found himself lying on a bed.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bill explores his new house and body, and also takes a step towards getting his powers back.

Bill wasn't all-to-interested in the body he found himself in- he'd been in human bodies before. Rather, he was interested in the house he'd woken up in.

It seemed to be void of life aside from Bill himself. The furniture was arranged in a comfortable and generic way, which would have been satisfactory for almost anyone aside from Bill Cipher. He attempted to move and change it with snaps of fingers and waves of the hand, but God hadn't been bluffing: his powers were completely gone, and he didn't know how to do anything manually. He'd have to be content with how the boring furniture was.

How the mighty have fallen, he thought to himself as he lay on a stiff, red couch, sulking. What was worse was that he had to seduce some puny human if he ever wanted to get his powers back!

That being said, though, Bill actually enjoyed seducing humans. They acted in an amusingly foolish manner when in love, and besides, he enjoyed various bedroom activities. He never cared to much about the lovers he took (he found the women particularly boring), but they were interesting enough to keep him occupied for a week or so.

Bill especially enjoyed seducing Pines men. He'd taken a few as lovers, including Stanford Pines, and had been hoping to take Dipper Pines. The teenager had an adorable but alluring aura, and the fact that he was strong-minded and smart enough to resist Bill's somewhat-empty flattery and boyish charms only made him more desirable.

The space demon shook his head to get rid of his thoughts about Dipper. If he was to get a human to fall in love with him, he needed to know what looks he had to work with. He snapped his fingers to take him to the nearest mirror, remembered his lack of powers, then got up and walked around the house looking for a mirror (which wasn't easy, considering he'd walked very little before).

He did finally find a mirror in the bathroom, and upon finding it, he began to inspect the body that he would be stuck in for a while.

Bill wore a simple yellow T-shirt with ripped, blue jeans. He had dark skin and his hair was bright blonde and wild, and his eyes possessed the same yellow hue: emphasis on eyes. It explained why Bill's vision was strange, like everything was bigger. Judging by his large height but complete lack of muscles, he put himself at around 14. A measly teenager.

Don't teenagers go to school? Bill thought. An entire building full of teenagers, who, due to their hormones, were all desperate for mates, sounded like exactly what Bill needed to get his powers back. Besides, he'd always liked teenagers, particularly the reckless ones or the ones who wanted to learn about the stranger parts of the universe.

He decided that he would register.

 

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

 

Bill took a long time to register, due to the many urges that he found came with being a human being.

First, he learned that humans had an almost endless hunger for sustenance. It took him about an hour to learn that said sustenance was kept in a large, chilly closet with the date 'June 19' on the door in the kitchen, but when he did learn, he ate nonstop for about two hours.

After that, he felt a strange, tingling sensation coming from his genitalia. It wasn't until he peed all over the kitchen floor that he realized that that was the way humans got rid of their waste, and that he was supposed to do it in the 'Water Seat,' as he'd called it when he flushed a bottle of root beer down it. Bill found the whole thing absolutely hilarious.

Once that was all over, Bill noticed a smartphone (What a primitive device, he thought) lying on the kitchen table. Taped to it was a little note with a series of numbers on it. It was labeled, 'Board of Education's phone number~God,' which made Bill smilee. He'd made the right choice, deciding to register for junior high school. He was definitely on the path to his powers!

He dialed the number into the 'primitive device,' then waited for someone to pick up as the phone rang.

After a few seconds of ringing, a soft, woman's voice with a Southern accent picked up. "Hello, this is the town of Littlewoods' Board of Education. My name is Edna. How amy I help you?" she said.

Littlewoods. So that was the name of the town. Donning a slightly deeper voice, Bill said, "hello, I'm new to.... Littlewood, and I'd like to register my only son for school. Can you help me with that?"

"Yes, of course! What's your son's grade and name?"

"He's going into the 9th grade, ad his name is Bill...." He thought for a moment about a good, fake name. ".....Kipher. Bill Kipher."


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On Bill's first day of school, he sees a familiar face, as well as decides who to seduce.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is also the one known as "Dipper is me," or "Bill is the male version of the sort of girl I wish would hit on me."

A little less than 3 months later, Bill was walking into Littlewoods Junior High.

He'd combed his blonde hair perfectly, and he was wearing a red T-shirt with blue jeans. Bill wanted to look his best in order to impress whoever he was going to choose to make them fall in love with him.

As he walked through the small junior high school, he looked at various students in order to assess which ones were more desirable than others. He saw a few good-looking ones, and a few people who's T-shirts and various belongings hinted at them being interesting, but no one really stood out.

The thing was, Bill had never been one to just take what he could get and be content. If he had to make someone fall in love with him, he wanted to enjoy it at least a little bit, and in order to do that, he needed to find someone somewhat alluring. So far, though, he'd had no luck: it seemed that the students just weren't very eye-catching. 

However, his lack of luck wasn't actually due to a deficiency of interesting people at Littlewoods Junior High. No, he didn't have any luck because, as he strolled through the halls of his new school, he failed to notice a familiar brown-haired boy and his chipper sister. 

 

. . . . . . . . .

 

Bill's first class had been tedious. While it was science and it taught about stars, which was a generally interesting subject, it was limited to human knowledge. The majority of the lesson consisted of things Bill already knew, and the rest of it was incorrect!

He hope that his second class would be more interesting, seeing as it was language arts, which he knew nothing about- English wasn't his first language. As it turned out, it was interesting, but in a different way than expected. 

Bill walked into his language arts classroom and saw a short; stout teacher with round glasses, and she wore a vibrant, green shirt with a plaid skirt. It was ugly. She smiled at him, then looked a clipboard in her arms.

"Ah! You must be Bill Kipher!" she said. "My name is Mrs. O'Neeley. Your desk is the one in the back right."

The space demon glanced towards the desk that his teacher was pointing at, and his heart skipped several beats when he was that Dipper Pines sitting there, reading a book. He couldn't believe it- the human he'd taken an interest in was here, in Littlewoods? Yet, he had to believe it, because Dipper sat there, reading his book with a focused scowl, turning each page with a bit of excitement and passion.

For no apparent reason, a gigantic smile appeared on his face as he jogged over to the desk, and came face-to-face with his previous enemy- or was it friend?- at the desk. He was going to make an interesting 'first' impression.

He stood there and stared at Dipper for a moment, unnoticed, before he poked him and said, 'Watcha reading?"

Bill then laughed hysterically as Dipper slammed the book shut in shock and panted, then looked up at him. "Um.... it's All Creatures, Big and Small."

Bill grinned and outstretched a hand. "Nice book. The name's Bill Kipher. You?" he asked, like he didn't already know the answer.

Dipper raised an eyebrow upon hearing Bill's 'name,' but he shook Bill's hand and said, "Dipper Pines."

"Pines. Funny name. Mind if I call you 'Pinetree?'"

"I'd rather you didn't."

"Pinetree it is, then!"

Dipper rolled his eyes, though said eyes had a glimmer of a smile within them.

After the rest of the class arrived, Mrs. O'Neeley said, "Greetings, class! I'm going to give you all 15 minutes to get to know each other, and then we'll start the lesson!"

Dipper instantly turned towards Bill. "So, what are you into?"

Bill was thinking about getting people to fall in love with him, so naturally, he said, "Romantically, you mean?"

The brunette shook his head, blushing lightly. "I mean, what are your interests."

"Oh."

Bill had to think about that for a minute. He'd only been interested in using his powers for chaos his whole life... did he really have any interests? He did enjoying learning things about space and the limitations of his powers.... he supposed that was science. He also liked entertainment- putting people in awe was sort of his forte. 

"Well, for starters, I look performance."

Dippers eyes lit up a bit. "That's cool! Do you play an instrument?"

"Piano. Also, I sing."

"Sounds fun. Do you like the Icelandic pop sensation, Babba?"

Bill had heard of her (he'd heard of almost everything) but he didn't really know her, so he said, "I've never heard her music. You'll have to introduce me to it."

"I will! You'll love singing her songs, I sing them sometimes, too."

Bill giggled a bit at the idea. "Awesome. I also like science, which I understand you like as well, Pinetree."

Dipper was surprised. "How did you know? What fields are you into?"

"Astronomy and physics."

"Physics is cool. I like technology and biology. Did you know that most cats are faster than Olympic gold medalists?"

"No, I didn't know that," Bill said honestly. He wondered why he'd never come across such a hilarious fact.

Dipper smiled with pride. "Yeah, I know a lot of fun facts. I could probably tell you animal fun facts all day if you'd let me."

"I'll have to take you up on that offer sometime." Bill was smiling because he was being reminded of why he'd taken an interest in Dipper- he was such a dork. 

After they said that, the teacher began the lesson. It was a basic review of various verbs and changing tenses, but it was slightly challenging for Bill. Dipper sailed through it, though he didn't seem all to interested. Perhaps he was more interested in finding out how fast cats could run than learning that you say "ran" instead of "runned."

Once class was done, Bill picked up his books alongside Dipper.

"You seem pretty cool, Bill. I hope we can hang out sometime," Dipper said.

"Same! You're a dork, but you're a cute one." He winked and Dipper blushed.

"So.... we'll talk more tomorrow?"

That suddenly made Bill's spirits drop. He'd actually been enjoying spending time with the nerd, and Dipper seemed to be happy, too. In fact, he was so happy around Bill, that, with a few gentle pushed done my winks and compliments from Bill, that happiness could probably become a crush. Yes, he could easily seduce the kid, which was something he'd wanted to do, anyway....... why not?

"Actually, after my next class, I have lunch. Want to meet me there?"

Dipper nodded eagerly. "That'd be great!"

Bill smirk. This will be too easy, he thought. So long as I play my cards sensibly, Pinetree will be mine in no time!

Little did he know......


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bill gives up his disgusting lunch for some Lady Gaga and explosions, as well as a sort-of date with a sort-of (okay, VERY) cute brunette.

Bill lazily poked his fork at his mashed potatoes and gave his hot dog the stink eye as he did so. He hadn't been eating human food for very long, but after one bite of his food, he could already tell that the food was not  well made. The mashed potatoes had almost no flavor to speak of and were freezing, while his hot dog was so salty that it could've been boiled in the Dead Sea. Bill may have sunken low, what with losing the very powers that made himself, but he would not sink so low that he would willingly eat such horrible food.  
However, the space demon stopped giving his food the silent treatment and started pretending to eat it once he saw Dipper walking towards his almost-empty lunch table. As the brunette saw Bill eat a spoonful of cold pashed potatoes, he gave him a look of surprise, with a bit of pity.  
"So you're eating school lunches, huh?" Dipper said.  
Bill nodded, trying hard not to gag on his disgusting meal.  
"Why don't you just pack lunch at home?"  
Bill reluctantly swallowed. "I don't know how to cook."  
"You could have your parents cook for you."  
"I, uh, don't live with my parents."  
Dipper's eyes widened. "You're an emancipated teen?"  
"In the flesh, Pinetree."  
"That's so cool! What do you do now that you don't always have your parents telling you to clean stuff up and stopping you from reading books on the existence of alie- I mean, just telling you to clean stuff up?"  
Bill laughed. "Play the piano, mostly." It wasn't a lie. He'd spent the overwhelming majority of the summer playing the piano in his house. He had played everything from compostitions by Mozart to generic pop songs, all while doing dramatic dances, if he could.  
"You can sing, too?"  
"You bet!"  
"Can I hear you sing?"  
Instantly, Bill began to sing the first verse and chorus of Lady Gaga's 'Born This Way,' and while he sang in a clear tone, the seriousness of the song was taken away by his jazz hands and whips of the head.  
When he finished, Dipper clapped and Bill took a hearty bow, and then a chomp of his salty hot dog (which he nearly barfed up).  
"You know, I have a sister," Dipper said.  
"Really?" Bill said with fake curiosity.  
"Yeah, a twin. Be glad she's not here, cause she'd flirt with you a lot. I-I mean, not b-b-because you're flirtable! Well, you're not not flirtable, you're actually really hot- I m-m-mean, nice. I mean..... ugh." Dipper hid his face in his hands.  
Bill chuckled and leaned back in his chair. This is going to be too easy! he thought.  
Dipper recovered from his embarrassment and came out from his hands, then said, "My point is that my sister- Mabel- is actually a big Lady Gaga fan. Not that I blame her. Have you seen her shows?"  
"No. Why? Do they have explosions?"  
"Actually, yeah! Her pyrotechnics are amazing! Here, let me show you......"  
Dipper pulled up a video of one of Lady Gaga's performances. It was dull compared to things Bill had done with his powers, but considering It was all done by humans, it was actually quite impressive. Besides, Dipper constantly told him how various light tricks and explosions were made, giving Bill a better understanding of how humans got things done.   
After watching videos pf Lady Gaga's strange dresses and fireworks for a while, Dipper looked at his watch. "Oh, crap, it's 10 minutes until our next class. We should get going."  
"Definitely," Bill said, happy to have a reason to dump out his horrible lunch.  
"What do you have next?"  
"Home Ed."  
"Oh, shame. I have music class. Though, this means you can actually learn to cook for yourself at home," Dipper said. "Actually, speaking of home, I have my own little pyrotechnics project at home, if you ever want to come by and see it.  
Bill smiled. It wasn't one of his usual smirks or devilish grins, but a soft, almost kind smile, like the type one would give to a puppy or a sunset. Why did he have that smile? Was it because he was with Dipper? Was it because he liked how awed the brunette was by everything? Was it because he lacked the ability to travel across existence and time, yet still knew everything?   
Whatever the reason, Bill maintained the smile and said, "I'd like that, Pinetree."


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dipper introduces Bill to an invention of his, as well as a good idea.

Dipper's house was identical to almost every house in Littlewoods: average-sized with plain, white paint, a cement walkway, and perfectly-trimmed grass with a garden gnome or two. It disgusted Bill with how boring it was, but he still walked towards the little house. No amount of boringness was going to keep him from seeing Pinetree, or the little explosive he'd promised him.

When he rang the doorbell, he heard a faint 'ding-dong!' from within the house, and then the pattering of quick feet. Before he knew it, he saw Dipper as the door opened.

"Bill!" he exclaimed, a light pink dusting his cheeks. "What are you doing here?"

Bill smirked, knowing it was a good time to turn on his natural charm. "Well, last week, you promised to show me your little invention. Plus, I missed you." The blonde added a wink for good measure.

"Oh, right! Come on in, it's in my room!"

Bill stepped into the doorway, and looked around. The inside of the house was much more beautiful and interesting than the outside. Crude, glittery drawings of unicorns and the like (most likely made by Mabel) covered the walls, and various books and odd contraptions of Dipper's lay on furniture, alongside pictures of the twins in matching outfits. It seemed like their parents didn't contribute to the 'decorations' much, but Bill didn't mind- in fact, quite the opposite. Looking at the mess was a bit like getting a glimpse at Dipper's mind and soul.

The brunette led him up a flight of wooden stairs. When they got to the top floor, they passed several rooms before reaching Dipper's. One of the rooms had band posters and art similar to the pieces downstairs all over the door, and some sparkly letters spelled out 'Mabel.' The other two were plain white, but the last room had nothing but a 'DO NOT ENTER' sign on the door. Dipper opened that one and said, "Welcome to my room."

As expected from Dipper, the room was quite neat and tidy, aside from a large pile of clothes in the corner. Aside from the boring cleanliness, there was a poster of most of the stars and constellations, as well as a desk covered in strange gadgets, like a calculator with a solar panel on it and a white, round thing labeled 'FOR BILL.'

"I like the map of the stars," Bill said, smiling at his home-star, Sirius. Then he walked over to Dipper's desk and picked up the round thing. It was rather soft, and it stretched and bulged in Bill's hand. "IS this what you wanted to show me, Pinetree?"

"Yeah. I mixed a bunch a non-toxic gaseous chemicals together and put them in there."

"Why?"

"Throw it on the ground and you'll see."

Bill grinned mischievously, then looked at the sphere with greed. "Gladly."

Bill slammed the round thing onto the ground with gusto. Before he knew it, a cloud of purple exploded and filled the room. It was so thick and dark that neither one of them could see anything but purple, until it slowly began to fade. The purple dissipated until the room's air was clear, and they could see each other's small smiles clearly.

"That's so cool!" Bill exclaimed, genuinely amazed. "Imagine, I'm on the stage, playing something cool on the piano, when bam! Purple! I would become the performing sensation of the year!"

Dipper nodded. "Finally, someone who appreciates my inventions! This one had so many uses!"

"You're telling me! Do you have any more of these things?"

"You bet!"

Dipper opened a drawer in his desk, and Bill saw at least two dozen of white color-bombs. He greedily grabbed one, said, "Watch this!" and then threw it onto the ground. He ran behind Dipper's bed, and waited for the cloud to dissipate before jumping out from behind the bed.

Dipper jumped a bit, mentally cursed himself for being surprised by such a foolish thing, and then said, "You haven't seen the half of it. I thought of 135 day-to-day uses for this thing."

Bill's eyes widened and his lips curled into a smile as he began to bounce up and down. "Show them all to me!"

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

 

The two spent their whole Saturday afternoon trying out different uses for the little bomb. Bill set one off in order to let Dipper find him in a game of hide-and-seek, while Dipper used it to take a pencil from Mabel's room while she Skyped Pacifica Northwest. They tested 70 of 135 uses, and they laughed and sometimes sang while they did so.

Finally, after using a bomb to color their water, they crashed on Dipper's bed, exhausted from all of their adventures.

"Wow, Bill, you are crazy," Dipper said. "I don't think I've ever had that much fun in my life!"

"You gotta get yourself some credit, Pinetree, seeing as you made the smoke bomb. How'd you even do it?"

Without hesitation, Dipper went into a lengthy description of all the chemicals that went into making the device. Bill listened intently, if being as smart and dorky (and adorable) as Dipper lead to this much fun, he wanted in!

Once he finished explaining, Dipper said, "Wow, how does a guy this interested in chemistry have a date to the fall dance?"

Bill had no idea there even was a fall dance, but he maintained a poker face and said, "Why do you think I have a date?"

"Well, you're pretty hot-I mean, handsome, and you're fun, so I just assumed. Plus, a lot of people have been talking about asking you out."

"I don't actually have a date," Bill admitted.

Though, a 'romantic' dance would be a perfect place to get my seduction of Dipper into full swing, he thought.

Bill put a flirtatious smirk onto his face and said, "Want to help me change that?"


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Getting Dipper to go to the dance with him isn't as easy as Bill expected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song in the chapter is 'Riptide' by Vance Joy with my shitty modified lyrics.
> 
> Why did I choose this song? I have a feeling that Dipper has a thing for somewhat cheesy pop songs.

Upon deciding to take Dipper as his date to the fall dance, Bill realized what God had meant when he said that Dipper 'would not be so easy.'

When Bill first asked the nerdy boy to go with him, he simply answered 'no' and offered no further explanation. Bill begged him and begged him, but his answer was a firm negative, and eventually he had to call it a day.

However, that didn't mean that Bill had given up.

It was obvious that Dipper had, at the very least, a slight crush on the space demon, between how eager-to-please he was around him and the way he stuttered and blushed whenever he praised Bill by accident. So, that meant that Dipper had some other reason for turning him down, and Bill was determined to make that reason disappear.

His first thought was that, being the logical person he was, Dipper needed a reason to go to the dance with Bill, like a purpose, or something they could do together. To test that theory, Bill told Dipper many reasons to go the the dance with him the next day at lunch.

"We could use your smoke bombs to make the dance floor all cool and misty. They'd start selling like hotcakes!" Bill told him.

"Sure, because the principal will totally allow that," Dipper said.

"Well, what about the snacks? It's a rare gift to get food like that for free, Pinetree! Appreciate it!"

"I don't have to subject myself to an awkward party with lame music just to get snacks."

"But you'l have fun! You said yourself that you think I'm a wild child. You'll have more fun with me than anyone else in the school!"

"Wow, aren't you full of yourself!"

"And yet, Pinetree, you don't deny that I'll be the most fun!"

Dipper blushed. "Shut up. I'm not going to the fall dance with you, Bill."

So, Bill decided that Dipper didn't want a reason to go to the school dance- either that, or his reasons weren't good enough. Either way, Bill was onto his next idea: deal-making.

Luckily, conning humans into shaking his hand and making a deal was a specialty of Bill's. All he had to do was find something that Dipper desperately wanted, offer it to him, and then he would have him in his web. Sure, it would be harder due to the fact that he was powerless, and therefore couldn't offer Dipper anything and everything, but he was sure that he could offer Dipper something he wanted.

At first, Bill offered the brunette answer to all the tests that semester, but Dipper doubted that Bill knew the answers, and the space demon couldn't explain without giving away his identity. He offered the boy favors, presents, and assistance in many forms, but Dipper wasn't interested in any of them. Bill even jokingly offered him his body, which Dipper seemed momentarily interested in, before deeming it inappropriate.

The times became desperate, and therefore called for desperate measures. Bill had no choice but to turn to his last resort: creative ways to ask Dipper to the fall dance.

While Bill had never really taken his nerdy, logical friend as the romantic type, but Bill's previous asking-outs had lacked a certain romantic aura: perhaps that was what Dipper really wanted from him!

So, the space demon began to formulate somewhat complicated plans. First, he played ding-dong-ditch with a honeydew melon that had a note taped to it that read, "Honeydew you want to go to the dance with me?" He heard Dipper grumble about the horrible pun as he ran away from the brunette's house (but he still took the honeydew inside and ate it). Next, he got Mabel and Waddles to help him bring a rose and poem to dipper in the pig's mouth. The plan failed, however, when Dipper screamed at the pig's slobber on his rose.

The failures of those attempts annoyed Bill more than his other failures. He was getting tired and running out of ideas, and kept on impulsively wanting to snap his fingers and make everything right. He usually wouldn't care about such a thing, but he knew he had to get Dipper to go with him, or he'd live like this forever.

Thus, Bill had to proceed in his efforts. He decided that his next attempt would require serenading Dipper, so he spent a Saturday afternoon in his tiny house (which he still hated, by the way), surfing the web for songs that would accurately represent Dipper. He grumbled with every click, for even that was more physical exercise than he was used to.

Luckily, before long, he found a song that was perfect for Dipper.

 

. . . . . . . 

 

Bill spent all Sunday practicing the song on his piano, occasionally trying out altered lyrics that would more suitably fit the brunette. He practiced other songs, too- old favorites and such- but that song was becoming his favorite.

Actually, much to the demon's annoyance, Dipper was in his head constantly as he practiced and sang. Every lyric reminded Bill of something he'd done or said, and even the melody contained Dipper's simple, curious, and intelligent aura. It irritated Bill to no end, because he just wanted to learn and practice the nice song without Dipper's strange fun-facts and serious face distracting him.

Luckily, his practicing ceased that Monday, when he invited Dipper to eat lunch with him in the band room, where he'd be 'practicing the piano' while he ate.

Bill sat down at the piano and Dipper pulled up a chair next to him and began babbling about his various adventures in Gravity Falls. Bill only half-listened (seeing as he already knew most of the stories) as he cracked and stretched his fingers in preparation for the song.

Finally, after getting all warmed up, Bill interrupted Dipper by striking a note and singing, "I was scared of the color white!"

"Um, why?"

Bill ignored him and continued to sing. "I was scared of handsome boys and starting conversations!"

"Since when?"

"Oh, all my friends are turning green! You're the magicians assistant in their dreams.

O-o-o-oh, and they come unstuck!

Baby, running down to the riptide,

taken away to the dark side,

I wanna be your left-hand man!

I love you-"

 

"Oh, Bill, y-"

 

"When you're singing that song,

and I got a lump in my throat

cuz you're gonna sing the words wrong!"

 

"Ugh, I didn't mean to sing 'The Death of a Bachelor' like that! It was an accident!"

Bill laughed. "But it was so cute!" Then, he continued to sing, "There's this movie that I think you'll like. This guy gets emancipated and heads to Littlewoods. This cowboys running from himself! Pinetree's been living on the highest shelf!"

As Bill sang the chorus another time, he heard a thumping sound alongside the piano and his voice. Before long, he realized that it was Dipper tapping his foot to the beat. Excellent, he thought, I'm going to get him!

Soon, though, he had to pay attention to the song, because the most important part was coming.

"I just wanna, I just wanna know,

If you'll come to, to the dance with me."

 

"Give it up, Kipher."

 

"You just have to, you just have to go!

I can't have it, I can't have it, any other way."

 

Bill then hit a strong chord and sang, "And I swear, he's such an intelligent teen, closest thing to Charles Darwin that you've ever seen, oh!"

Dipper blushed as Bill began to sing the chorus one more time, looking him straight in the eye as his mouth sang the words and his fingers gently pressed the piano keys. Then, when he finished, he stared at Dipper, ready for the answer.

"I... I want to go to the dance with, Bill, I really do," Dipper confessed, "but we're both boys, and everyone here in Littlewoods is so homophobic!"

"So? Screw them! Listen; will your parents accept you?"

"Uh, probably."

"Will your friends accept you?"

"My only friend is Mable, so, yeah."

"Then you have nothing to worry about! So long as the people most important to you love you, you'll be fine. And if anyone else dislikes you for it, it's their problem!"

"Well... I guess you're right."

"So.....?"

Dipper sighed and rolled his eyes, but also grinned a bit. "Yes, I'll go to the fall dance with you."

"Excellent!" Bille exclaimed, pumping a fist into the air.

Dipper than affectionately grabbed Bill's hand, sending an electric feeling all through Bill's body. The space demon had no idea how the boy managed to send electricity through the human body, a natural insulator, but whatever the reason, he liked it.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The dance goes well.... mostly.

The dance wasn't quite as magical as Bill had made it sound. Loud, peppy music with a simple beat and repetitive lyrics played, and while a few of the more extroverted students danced either masterfully or with extreme awkwardness, the res of the students stood near the wall, talking and devouring the abundant cookies and soda laid out for them.

However, Bill knew that, with the right amount of charm, chatter, and dancing, he could make it seem like the most romantic night of Dipper's life.

He wasted no time. He brought theme each a drink and two cookies the second they arrived. Supposedly, one was for Dipper and one was for Bill, but once Dipper finished his, Bill snapped his cookie in half and gave one half to his companion. It made him sufficiently blush, so Bill moved on to the next step.

At some point, 'I'm Ready' by AJR came on. Bill had come across the tune in his song-searching and had taken a liking to it, so he coaxed Dipper into dancing with him while it played. 

The brunette seemed so have a fun time while he did goofy dance moves and had Bill spin him around. Bill enjoyed it immensely; it had been a long time since he'd moved around freely, and with a beat behind him, too. However, when the song ended, Dipper was panting and exhausted.

"Dancing is fun," he managed to get out between puffs, "but a bit too tiring for me." Bill couldn't really argue.

So, they did something that was Dipper's forte; discussing science.

They talked about chemistry, mostly. Interesting chemical reactions. How many of the elements in the periodic table they knew (all of them). Hypothetical ways to create more water. In other words, the last things you'd expect two almost-dating people to chat about.

Bill realized as they chatted that Dipper was different from any other human he'd met when it came to talking to him. He didn't seem to worship him, and he didn't seem terrified, either. Dipper did seem to feel a bit of both at certain times, but when they debated science, where there knowledge was almost equal, Dipper just smiled a bit and casually talked while his mouth was full with M'n'M cookies. He treated Bill like nothing more than a peer.

The idea of them being peers was ridiculous, of course. Dipper Pines was a mere human, while Bill was Bill Cipher, King of the fifth planet from Sirius, and he could easily reign the universe if he weren't shamefully at the mercy of a particular human teen. However, if Dipper really was almost a peer or completely equal to the amazing Bill Cipher, then maybe he wasn't such a shameful person to beg for mercy from.

At some point, their lively debate about water was interrupted by Bill noticing a slow song come on. Perfect, he thought. Now, if I can just get Pinetree to dance.....

He tried sarcastic romance first. He made a big show of offering his hand to Dipper, twirling his wrist and bowing a bit, before saying, "May I have this dance?"

"Um, no thanks. I'm still sorta winded."

"I can see why. You just talked for five minutes without taking a breath."

Dipper laughed breathily.

"Seriously, Pinetree. It's a slow dance. It's romantic."

Bill silently thanked whatever romantic Dipper had within him as he said, "Fine." Bill then slowly led him onto the dance floor, and wrapped his arms around Dipper's waist. The brunette did the same to Bill's neck, and they began to gently sway and step to the beat, all while staring into each other's eyes.

You know I'll fight my corner and that tonight I'll call you after my blood has turned into alcohol.....

There wasn't much to see in each other's eyes as their heads kind-of-swayed. They knew almost everything about each other at this point, a bit too much for either of them. They tried to hide how they felt, but neither one of them was very good at it.

Oh, I just wanna ho-o-o-old ya....

What they were trying to hide was their feeling for each other, but from different people. Dipper wanted to hide his feelings from Bill, though his constant blushes and stammering wasn't very helpful. Meanwhile, Bill was trying very hard to get his 'crush' noticed by Dipper all while keeping his true feelings (which weren't very different from the ones he showed) from being seen by himself.

Give a little time to me, 

to burn this out.

We'll play hide-and-seek

to turn this around.

All I want is the taste that your lips allow, 

my-my, my-my-y-y, give me love...

 

Something about Bill's eyes were tired. Dipper assumed the tiredness was due to the dancing and all the work he'd put into dance invitations. In reality, it was due to ow new not-having-powers was to Bill and how hard it was for the blonde to suppress his true feelings. Either way, Dipper realized that his stubbornness and coyness had made Bill's life a tiring one. Perhaps I should give him a break, he thought.

He stumbled a bit as he realized that he'd frozen and that Bill was swaying without him. He began to sway again, and gulped as he looked into Bill's eyes again, which were colored pink from the lights. Using every bit of courage within him, Dipper said, "Bill, I need to tell you something."

Bill suddenly perked up and his eyes sparkled. "What is it, Pinetree?"

"I, uh, well, I...... I r-really li-"

Bill didn't know exactly what happened. One minute he was dancing with Dipper and full of excitement about possibly regaining his powers that made his life so good, and the next thing he knew, Dipper yelped and hopped out of Bill's grasp, the way one does when one is pricked by a pin.

"What happened?" Bill asked.

"You..... you shocked me. Electrically." It seemed for a moment that Dipper didn't believe his own words, before he began to squint at Bill and look him up and down. Bill had seen that look before when he was trying to answer a question on the chalkboard.

"I have to go, Bill. I'm sorry, but I really have to... read something." Dipper said, then ran off before his companion could say a word. He left Bill alone on the dance floor between the kids doing the whip and nae-nae, feeling a very human emotion.

The emotion was fear. Bill feared that Dipper was going to find out who 'Bill Kipher' really was, and if he succeeded, Bill didn't know what he was more afraid of: losing his powers forever or losing Dipper.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bill's first visit to Dipper's house in days doesn't go as nicely as expected.

Bill and Dipper didn't talk again until the Sunday after the dance. While Bill was a bit worried about what Dipper was doing, he found ways to distract his mind. Half the time was spent watching TV, which was a primitive but surprisingly entertaining human device. The other half was spent playing piano.

Piano had become something of an obsessions for Bill. The second his fingers pressed the keys, beginning a melody, his ears would be overwhelmed by the beauty of the sound and his mind would fill with memories. Classical pieces reminded him of his early days, still learning to use his powers. The crescendos made him reminisce about those who saw him as a god, while decrescendos led to the whispers of gossip, claiming he was a witch. Songs with lyrics had words that would spark flashbacks of ex-lovers or joyous days. In the lack of Dipper, memories of happy moments were all that Bill had, and his little piano/time-machine helped him access them.

In the afternoon of the aforementioned Sunday, Bill sat at the piano playing "Für Elise." It was a sad song, but the quick rises and falls of the melody reminded him of the different kinds of magic he'd used on his first day alive (whenever that was), and he would press the keys with all he had as he remembered the first time blue fire came out of his hands. It was almost like having his powers back.

However, he was reminded that he was, indeed, still powerless when he heard his primitive cell phone ring. Checking the caller ID, he saw that it was Dipper, and picked up immediately.

"Hey, Pinetree!" he greeted. "Miss me?"

"Yeah, sure. Listen, my parents are out, so would you come over? I need to talk to you about something, uh, personal."

"Sure! Hey, afterwards, can we try out your smoke bombs again? I want to see what happens when I eat one!"

"You'd probably end up with-" Dipper stopped himself mid-sentence. "I mean, uh, I don't know, Bill. Maybe."

"'Kay. See you in a minute."

Dipper hung up, leaving Bill both excited and scared. With the way things had gone at the dance, Dipper could either tell him that he was in love with him, or that he knew Bill's true identity. Which one would it be?

Bill never had been one to wait for answers, so he quickly ran out the door and headed towards Dipper's house, which would either be his salvation or demise.

 

. . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . 

The second Bill was let into Dipper's house, he started talking a lot. Seeing the brunette's face instantly reminded him of all the things he'd wanted to say to him those past two days, and he let it all out at once. He began babbling about songs, homework, TV, and jokes, among other things. He ever ran up the stairs to Dipper's room backwards in order to keep talking!

Dipper didn't really respond to what Bill said-he would just stare at him with the smallest, fakes smile he'd ever seen. At first, this confused the space demon. However, he soon noticed that Dipper would start a sentence and then abruptly stop, and he sort of bit his lip whenever Bill mentioned something about future plans together. He was trying not to talk. Whatever he wanted to tell Bill was serious, and that wasn't a good sign.

Once they got into Dipper's room, he turned to Bill and said, "That's enough, Bill. We need to have a serious talk."

Dipper's tone was threatening and serious, which made Bill truly scared for the first time in years. He reacted by forcing a laugh. "What are you, my dad?"

"No jokes, Bill. I.... I don't think you're human."

Crap, Bill thought, what now? Deny it? Confess? Run?

He went with the first choice. "That's crazy! What do I look like, a troll? What crackhead made you think that?"

"My great-uncle Ford. I read what he wrote on telling whether someone is human or not, and you completely qualify as 'not human.' You have an extensive knowledge of the universe, your hands do strange things like shocking people, you live alone, and you're 'unusually attractive.' I could go on."

Bill's mind began to race, struggling to think of a way out of the situation, but Dipper was faster. "So, are you human or not?"

His mind was still working like a cheetah, until finally it just froze, and Bill sighed. Dipper probably knew anyway- it was just a matter of confirming it. "Fine, you got me. I'm not really human."

"I knew it," Dipper whispered. "So, what are you? A stack of gnomes? A mermaid? A shapeshifter, I bet."

"No, Pinetree, remember how I told you my name was Bill Kipher?"

"Yeah."

"My real name is Bill Cipher."

Dipper immediately walked backwards a few steps, shock and terror on his face. Bill panicked a bit inside. "H-how? We.... Grunkle Stan killed you!"

"I was given a second chance at life, because, uh, someone realized that I only wanted everyone to have fun."

"Oh, really? " Dipper asked. He was angry now, and that was worse. "So you just wanted us to have fun when you froze half the town and made them into your chair? You thought we'd be all giggles when we were chased by a face and a hand? You thought that bringing terrifying objects so life would just be hysterical?"

"It seemed hilarious at the time."

"Why? Why would you think we'd like that?"

"I had no idea how humans felt or thought! Now I do! I've seen what it's like to be mortal, and I realize that I shouldn't have done those things!"

"No shit, Sherlock! You hurt so many people, and lots nearly died! And... and then you come here, to... what? Observe me like a lab rat? Toy with my emotions?"

Bill looked down at his feet. "Um, you see, the thing is, my powers were taken away when I got my 'second chance,' and I can only regain them his I get a human to fall in love with me."

Dipper looked like he'd been smacked in the face, but his wide eyes almost immediately began to crinkle under a scowl, and he grew furious. "So none of this was real? You don't like me at all, do you? You just wanted me for your stupid powers!"

"That's not true!" Bill cried, shocking himself with both the desperation in his tone and the fact that the statement was indeed, true. "I've changed, I really have, and I think I have real feel-"

"LIES! I know you, Bill! You're ll about power, power, power, and you never cared about me, or anything but power!"

"No! I care about piano, and your fun facts, and your smoke bombs, and you, too!"

"Bullshit! I've been tricked by you once, so it won't happen again! Get out of my room! Get out of my house! Get out of my life, you monster!"

"Pinetree, I-"

"DON'T call me that dumb nickname, you.... you demon! Get out!"

Bill wanted to stay so, so desperately- he'd only been around Dipper for a few moments and didn't want to be alone again, he just wanted to explain, to get to stay by his side. However, the fury in Dipper's eyes, tone and body told him that wasn't going to happen. He sighed and left Dipper's room, struggling to fight back tears for the loss of is powers, and Dipper.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While pouting in the hallway, Bill sees a familiar face that has genuinely positive intentions.

A/N: So this story was completely unpublished for some reason? I must have unpublished it by accident. But it's here now, so, hurrah!

Also, we're so close to 1K reads! Do you think you guys could get it there, with this chapter? Thanks <3

 

Bill's knees became his world. All he could see was the blackness that was the thin, warm legs his head was tucked in. Everything else vanished--the hallway, the wall he leaned against, the sun in the windows--except for Dipper's words, swimming around in his head.

He tried to fight them off, to justify how they weren't true, how he really had changed, but a small part of him wondered if Dipper was right. After all, he had be untrustworthy, lying, and manipulative his whole life, so what made him believe he'd stopped now? He had believed he was tricking Dipper this whole time, although now he thought he'd really been tricking himself.....

Luckily, the words were silenced by the opening and closing of a door. He dragged his head out of his knees, half-hoping it was Dipper, but no, it was Mabel.

"Oh," she said, her face lacking its usual smile. "Hey, Bill."

"Hi," he replied, resting his chin on his knees.

"So, uh, no offense, bud, but didn't Dipper tell you to, you know, leave?"

Bill huffed. "So you heard all that?"

"Yeah."

The space demon stared blankly at the wall opposite to him, lacking any motivation to move. Then he sighed and pushed himself up. "Well, I suppose you're terrified now or hate me or something, so I'll, um, get going. Just..... tell Dipper I'm really sorry."

He only managed to take one step before Mabel said, "Actually, I'm not scared of you, and I don't really hate you either."

"What do you mean you're not afraid of me? I'm an immortal, all-powerful being, remember? Don't you know what I can do to you?"

"Well, if what you said to Dipper was true, then you're powerless. Harmless as a butterfly."

Bill rolled his eyes. "Ugh, right. But you should still hate me."

"Why?"  
"Why? Because I nearly killed you and your whole family! Because I turned half of your friends into stone! Because I tormented your uncles!"

"I guess, but... you're not a great guy, Bill, but I think you really were trying to just have fun. I've gotten carried away while having fun before, and I've always felt bad about it. Plus, I've seen you around Dipper, and I've seen Dipper around you. You two are destined! I've never seen Dipper so happy, and I've never seen you be so nice! And I bet that smarty-pants even taught you a lot about humans, too! I bet you even know how farts work!"

"I do! When you inhale too much-"

"Shh. My point is, I'm going to help you and Dipper get together, in the name of love."

The idea was ridiculously cheesy, and Bill could think of a million of a million sarcastic things he could say about it, but he figured it wouldn't help his case with either of them. Instead, he just said, "I don't know....."

"Pleeeeaaaaaase? Us gays have to help each other! I mean, gays and gay supporters! Because I'm definitely not gay, haha!"

Bill doubted the truth of the last sentence, but didn't have time to say so as Mabel continued to whine and whine, spewing ideas and justifications, until Bill finally said, "Fine. You got yourself a deal, Shooting Star. What's the plan?"

Smiling and taking huge breath, Mabel began to explain her plan in great detail. Bill could only catch half of what she said, due to the speed of Mabel's speech. It was fine, though-- While Mabel talked a lot, she actually said very little, so if Bill missed a few sentences, he most likely didn't lose any important details. He couldn't help but compare her to Dipper, who stated the facts and got straight to the point. He was a harsh contrast to Mabel as she went into extreme detailed and rambled about off-topic subjects. It annoyed Bill quite a bit, but he couldn't say that he had never done the same. When he'd had his powers, he'd had a tendency to brag and monologue.

However, once Bill heard Mabel's plan to its end, he realized that, at the very least, it would get Dipper to listen to him. Forgiveness was a bit more uncertain, but likely, too. The plan also included many extravagant details that Bill thought were totally unnecessary (Mabel claimed they were to 'set' a romantic mood), but he didn't mind, really. Extravagant details were fun, and besides, he'd do just about anything to win back Dipper.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mabel is quite the actress, Bill is quite the musician.

Dipper was proud of how well ignored Bill. He sat with Mabel during school in order to him. He got his English teacher to switch his desk (although Lola, who was smelly and shouted a lot, was almost worse). He resisted the urge to go into the music room when he heard Bill playing 'Let Her Go' on the piano, and even though frowns looked to freakish and wrong on Bill's face, Dipper didn't comfort him.

"You're being a grumpy-wump," Mabel said, poking him with each 'ump.' He'd just ignored Bill's 5th request that week to sit with them, and the former space demon was now walking away slowly. 

Dipper scowled and watched him go, then looked back at Mabel. "He's only ever hurt us, Mabel! I don't see why you feel sorry for him!"

"You feel sorry for him, too. I can tell!"

Dipper blushed and scowled. "I don't! I hardly even miss him!"

"'Hardly,' you say," Mabel said with a smirk that made Dipper roll his eyes. However, she didn't pester Dipper any further, which he found suspicious.

As it turned out, Dipper's suspicion was justified.

A few days later, Dipper was in his room, reading Romeo and Juliet for English class. The story was surprisingly modern, from how teenage love worked to the thuggish boys. Only the ending was unrealistic; Dipper promised himself he'd never be so stupid.

Dipper's door opened with a pop that sent him jumping out of his chair, and grabbing a smoke bomb like it was his only hope at survival. It was only Mabel, but she looked as panicked as he did.

"Oh, it's just you," he said and sighed. "Knock next time."

"It's not just me Dipper, because..." Mabel's eyed darted around, and as she dropped into a whisper, Dipper couldn't help but wonder if this was a bit dramatic. "....there's something in the basement."

Dipper rolled his eyes. "Leave the spiders alone."

"No, it's not a spider! I was practicing for the talent show, playing a Sev'ral Times song on the piano, when I saw something dash around the room. It was bigger than me, and it looked like a human but.... it wasn't."

"That's odd," Dipper said with a scowl. "Weird creatures are usually confined to Gravity Falls...."

"I don't care, Dipper! It ruined my favorite Sev'ral Times song! It ruined 'My Princess.....'"

"Alright, alright," Dipper said. "Go get your grappling hook, and then we'll go investigate."

Mabel nodded, and before long, they found themselves at the door to the basement stairs.

"You go in first," Mabel said, oddly calm. "Call me if it's safe."

Dipper nodded and walked down the stairs, walking slowly and cautiously, though careful to maintain a stoic face. His fear soon turned to anger when he reached the end of the stairs and saw Bill sitting at the old family piano, wearing a sheepish grin on his face.

"Oh, hell no!" Dipper shouted. He stomped back up the stairs and twisted the doorknob. It was locked. He heard a giggle and growled in frustration. "Screw you, Mabel!" he cried, then walked back down the stairs in a huff.

"Well, hello to you, too," Bill said as he watched Dipper sit down on a chest of old clothes. 

"I'm not talking to you," Dipper announced. He crossed his arms and looked away from Bill.

Bill sighed, and it made Dipper want to look at him. Bill scooched the piano seat and it squeaked against the basement floor, and it made Dipper want to look at him. Every noise and movement made Dipper want to look at Bill. But Dipper was stubborn, so he fought he urge.

Despite his best effort, instinct took over when he heard a chord on the piano. He looked at Bill and saw hims staring at the piano in a forlorn sort of way, his fingers against the keys. 

"I know you're mad about the things I've done," Bill said in a smooth slow voice, "and you're scared and hurt and want to run.

I know you won't listen to a word I say,

that's why I made this rhapsody today."

 

"I'm still not listening," Dipper lied.

"I know, but...

I used to be bad, Pinetree, I hurt you and your friends.

You were right to try and put my life to an end.

 

Yet, I was given another chance, and I think I know why."

Bill struck a major chord.

"Because everyone deserves to know you before they die.

 

You taught me many things, and not just school-wise.

You showed me the world through a human's eyes.

 

You let me learn who I was, and then improved me, too.

And while I was forced to seduce you, it is true..."

 

Dipper froze as Bill stopped reciting for a moment and just played the piano, little scales and arpeggios and occasional, strong chords. The space demon's breaths were heavy, and he thought he saw tears in his eyes. He'd never seen Bill so emotional-- it was sort of like watching a lion die.

Yet, he got back to it.

"I learned that lovers are better when you really love them back.

I learned that caring was the most important trait I lacked...

 

But I've gained it, all because of you,

and it's a trait I really-" Bill's voice cracked, and he sniffled and took a deep breath. "-really, don't want to lose."

Bill struck a minor chord. He was really crying now, and the shattered pieces of Dipper's heart sank into his stomach.

"Y-you, have no reason to forgive me. I'm cruel!" He hit the piano keys. "I'm crazy!" Again. "I'm... I'm bad.

However, I'd like to stay by you, my Pinetree, for you to make me kinder and glad."

Finally, taking a deep, shivery breath, Bill plunked out a major chord. 

"So if you ever decide you want me after all,

I'll be here, waiting for your voice, your call."

 

There was silence for a moment. Dipper had no idea what to say. He wanted to forgive Bill, to get back to their flirtatious conversations, afternoons of laughter, their constant cat- and mouse. More than that, he wanted to apologize, and never see Bill break down like that again.

"So.... do you forgive me?" Bill asked, a tiny smile on his red, tear-streaked face.

Yes, Dipper thought, but he hesitated and said, "Did not having me around really make you so upset?"

"Yeah."

"Why?"

Bill half-chuckled, then sniffled. "Didn't the poem explain that?"

It had , but Dipper sort of wanted to hear the words on Bill's tongue again. "No," he said, fighting a smile.

"You're smart. You're cute. More than that, you've improved me, and showed me so many new things, and... I sort of need you."

Dipper sighed, crossed his arms, and turned away to hide his blush. He couldn't believe what he was about to say. "Well... I guess you kind of did the same for me."

Bill's eyes lit up. "Does that mean you take me back?"

"Uh... sure."

Bill jumped from his seat, practically screamed, and then ran to hug Dipper. As the demon's arms embraced him, he felt another shock, but this one was a good one, one that ran all up his spine and made him want to fly. He hugged back, and hard.

Then Bill let him go. He turned his attention to the stairs. "You can unlock the door now, Mabel!" he shouted.

Dipper laughed. "Oh, yeah. You two really did have an elaborate plan. I thought you might be up to something, but you really got me..."

"Yeah. She's quite an actress."

"It must've been hard to put up with her."

"Yeah, well, I'd do about anything to get you back."

Dipper blushed. "Sh-shut up. If you think this mean's I'm gonna say you-know-what, you're wrong. You're going to have to work even harder now."

"Oh, I know, and I'm starting by taking you on a date tomorrow."

The basement door opened to show Mabel with a huge, nearly-creepy grin on her face.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bill and Dipper's first date.

"Well, don't you look fancy," Dipper said, looking Bill up and down and smiling.

Bill straightened his bowtie and grinned, leaning against the doorway. "I always look dapper for my Dipper."

Dipper snorted. "Well, I hope you don't mind me being underdressed." He gestured to his T-shirt and jeans.

"No, you always look amazing." He winked.

Dipper blushed. "Uh, well, that reminds me: will this date have any signing?"

"No."

"Poetry?"

"Nada."

"Pre-planned romantic advances of any kind?"

"None."

"Good." He did an overdramatic sigh of relief, bringing his wrist to his forehead and flopping against the doorway as well. "Now I won't be totally overwhelmed by romantic desire."

Dipper smiled a bit and Bill smiled back. They were so close. He could smell Bill's minty breath, and watched his eyelashes bat as he blinked, and for a minute, he hesitated.....before pulling away, though he wasn't sure what he was pulling away from.

"Well," he said with a huff. "We should go. MABEL, COME SHUT THE DOOR BEHIND US!"

They heard the stairs creak and then the door did the same, ending with a click. 

 

/ / / / / / / / / / / /

It was quite a long walk to Bill's undisclosed 'date area.' Dipper didn't really care. He could only focus on the quick back-and-forth between him and Dipper, especially now that they could mention each other's pasts in their almost-competitive dialogue. Only when there was a short pause did he notice the ache in his feet and his back aching.

Besides, the destination was well worth it.

"Here we are," Bill said, gesturing to a fence that read 'Littlewoods Gardens.'

Dipper smiled. "We're going to go on a romantic walk through a botanical garden? You know me well, Bill."

"Don't I? I get to hold your hand in the moonlight while watching you nerd out over flowers."

"Don't act like you won't nerd out, too. Didn't you say that biology was your favorite type of science?"

"Shush, Pinetree. One of us needs to be the charismatic bad boy, and you're not fit for the task."

With that, Bill pushed open the garden's gate, Dipper inhaled the heavenly (if not a bit odd) aroma of the hundreds of flowers, then exhaled in pure bliss, a smile on his face.

This peace was interrupted by a cold hand that dragged him through the gates. The smell disappeared as the only sensation Dipper felt was his hand in Bill's as they began to walk through the garden. It was cold and a bit sweaty, and it made Dipper want to bloom like one of the plants.

"You're awfully quiet," Bill said, "Haven't you noticed the beautiful flowers?"

"I have," Dipper said, which was a lie. He averted his eyes from Bill's hands and looked at a bed of flowers to his right.

They really were beautiful. Flowers of every color grew alongside the stone path. Little fountains decorated to look like elephants and lions or watering cans sprinkled over them, making dew drops on the petals that became pink and made the flowers shimmer in the setting sun. There were marigolds between every line of flowers, which made Dipper gasp.

"You know why there are marigolds every other row?" Dipper sed. Bill, now beside him, shook his head and smiled. "It's because they scare off pests, and they attract beneficial insects like spiders."

"Like flower guards," Bill said. He stopped and kneeled down to fiddle with a marigold's petals.

Dipper looked down at him and laughed. "Yeah, I guess."

They walked in silence for a while, viewing each other a bit more than the flowers. That is, until Dipper spotted a row of tiny, purple flowers. His eyes widened and he gasped a bit. He pointed at it and said said, "Look, Bill, that's my favorite plant!"

Bill looked and his eyebrows lifted . "What is it?"

"Russian sage. Very useful and pretty herb."

"Oh," Bill said, a bit disappointed. "I thought it was hazloka."

"Hazloka?"

"It was the most deadly flower on my planet."

"You have flowers on your planet? Really?"

"Yeah, and badass ones, too! See, my planet is placed in a rip in the space-time fabric, so we have lots of plants from different places and times. Like, one flower called dumestupeed is a mixture of a dodo and a sort of lily on Mars..."

Bill talked on and on about flowers on his planet, occasionally shedding a bit of light on life there before shying away. The more dangerous the flower he was talking about, the more excited he got about it. He liked the hazloka best, as it killed people by shooting their sharp, knife-like leaves. It seemed like Bill knew everything about his planet--he probably did-- and Dipper wanted to be the safe. Every flower told him more about the planets, climate, culture, society and pieced a bit more of the enigma that was Bill.

"You know," Dipper said, when Bill finished a hazloka imitation, "Of all the things I expected to talk about alien flowers."

"What would you rather I talk about, Pinetree?"

Dipper stopped walking suddenly, and so did Bill. He thought about how Bill had imitated the plants and dragged him all across the garden to show him similar flowers, the wind running through his curly hair and the sound of their laughter together. "Nothing," he said. Something surged through him and he grabbed Bill's other hand like it was a lifeline. "This is just perfect."

The kiss sort of just happened. They fell into each other like magnets, and before they knew it, their lips were attached. It was a bit awkward because Bill was so much taller and Dipper had never kissed before, but it felt and asked nice, like a million of Bill's shocks were running down their spines.

They broke apart, it seemed, as soon as they came together. Bill smiled and ran his hand down Dipper's cheek. The brunette blushed and shied away.

"We better get home," he said, covering the cheek that Bill had caressed. "I promised my parents we'd be back at 8:30 to supervise Mabel and Pacifica."

Bill's nose crinkled. "That little brat's in town?"

"Yeah, she's vacationing here while her tutor's in Hawaii. My parents are a bit suspicious of their 'friendship.'"

Bill thought of how nervous Mabel had gotten when she said 'us gays,' and laughed. "Their suspicion is reasonable."


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mabel and Pacifica hang out like good Gal Pals.

Locking the door behind the two boys, Mabel turned around, beaming. "Pacifica!" she shouted. "They left!"

The brunette smiled wider as she hear the creak of steps as Pacifica ran down the stairs. Her blue dress hugged her curves and made her silky blonde hair look practically gold. Butterflies erupted in Mabel's stomach at the sight of her.

"Finally, we're alone. I thought they'd never leave," Pacifica said, coming towards Mabel. She was scowling a bit, but instantly grinned when Mabel leaned in and planted a kiss on her soft cheek.

"So, my lovely Pacifica, what _ever_ shall we do now?" Mabel said in a mock British accent.

Pacifica rolled her eyes, but played along. "Well, daaaaariling Mabel, perhaps we should go up to your room and... what do the youths call it nowadays?..... _chill._ "

Mabel raised an eyebrow. Speaking normally again, she said, "If I didn't know better, I'd say you were trying to get in bed with me."

Pacifica blushed and scoffed, looking away. "Shut up. Besides, if I were trying to do that, you'd be wearing a lot less clothes."

Mabel wrapped her arms around herself, her fingers grabbing her soft, rainbow sweater. "I will never take off Mr. Gay Sweater."

They both giggled, then grabbed for each other's hands and squeezed them tight as they began to walk up the stairs towards Mabel's room. One there, Mabel ran and flopped on her bed, glitter erupting around her. Pacifica grabbed some of the sparkles and rubbed them on her face, then stroked Mabel's cheek with them. She smiled.

"So, watcha wanna do now?" Mabel asked.

"Let's start by fixing your hair. It's a _disaster_."

"You just want to brush my hair."

"So? It's a win-win. Your hair looks fabulous, and my fingers feel fabulous."

Mabel agreed to let Pacifica brush her hair, and after that they got much crazier. They raided Mabel's closet and Pacifica helped her girlfriend 'glitter-fy' it. They sang karaoke together, and while Mabel was hesitant to let Pacifica sing 'Hold On to Me' alone, she still started to cry upon hearing it. They did silly dances to their favorite songs--and one rather romantic slow-dance. It wasn't until much later in the evening that they flopped onto Mabel's bed, glitter falling all around them.

"I'm glad I got my parents to let me come here," Pacifica said, looking at Mabel, who's beautiful hair was covered in glitter, so soft and sparkly. "This is..."

"Nice? Fun? Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious?"

"'Fun' is good."

"I know! When we're in fashion school together, we can get an apartment together and we'll do this every day!"

Pacifica smiled. Things like that reminded her of why she liked Mabel so much. How she was so positive that they were going to a fashion college together. The way she smiled as she talked, sowing off her colorful braces. She reached over, grabbed Mabel's cheek a bit, and then gave her a kiss.

Mabel being Mabel, she instantly pulled Pacifica closer. They were so caught up in the taste and warmth of each other that they didn't notice the click of Mabel's doorknob....

The ripped apart when they heard a voice shout, "Holy crap!" They turned and saw a petrified Dipper in the doorway, in front of a laughing Bill. Dipper slammed the door shut and Mabel got up from the bed and ran after him, opening the door.

"Wait! Dipper! Come back!" she shouted. "We can explain!"

She heard Bill's voice coming from Dipper's room, and before long, she saw Bill pushing Dipper out of his room. Once Dipper had pushed him a few feet, he said, "Alright, Bill, I can walk on my own!" The nerdy boy then turned to his sister. "Since when have you been kissing Pacifica?" he shouted. Speak of the devil, Pacifica was up, peaking out the doorway.

"Hey! I didn't act like that when I found out you liked Bill! And he's a demon! No offense, Bill," Mabel said.

"None taken," Bill said, shaking his head.

"It's just... you've spent the past two summers chasing after boys nonstop!" Dipper shouted. "Suddenly, you're gay?"

"Actually, I'm not!" Mabel said. "I'm pansexual, which means I love who I love, regardless of gender."

"Alright! Turns out we got some stuff in common, Shooting Star!" Bill said. He reached over and with a big smile, Mabel high-fives him.

" _I'm_ the gay one," Pacifica said, coming-out from the doorway and standing next to Mabel. "I'd rather die than date a boy.....ew."

"What about you, Pinetree? Or are you strictly Cipher-sexual?"

"I....uh... never really thought about it. I just knew I liked Bill, that's all."

"What'd I say? Cipher-sexual."

"Don't worry, li'l bro," Mabel said. Dipper scowled. "All that matters is that you and Bill are happy."

"Yeah!" Pacifica said. She grabbed Mabel's hands. "All I care about is that I love this dork."

" _She_ says love!" Bill said to Dipper. He laughed a bit.

Mabel then said, "It wasn't easy. I spent three months learning to play the guitar so I could sing her favorite song to her. Then she said it."

Mabel watched as a grin spread slowly across Bill's face. Somehow, she'd given the space demon some sort of idea that she knew would make her twin's life a living hell. She smiled, too.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dipper goes to the park late at night, and gets quite a few surprises.

Dipper wished he had been a little more surprised when Bill texted him at 8:43 p.m., saying, "come 2 the park ;)," but texts like that were common when one is dating a formerly-omnipotent space demon. In fact, Dipper what so unsurprised that after a few minutes of heavy sighs in bed, he grabbed a flashlight and snuck out the door. He was somewhat-anxiously reviewing his Hypothetical Plans Against a Murder/Kidnapping Attempt as he walked through the dark, but he couldn't really bring himself to be too worried.

Knowing Bill gave Dipper this moronic sort of confidence that made him feel that, no matter what happened, they'd find a way out of it. The confidence was what allowed Dipper to sneak out of the house and into the night. It made him wonder what Bill was planning rather than wonder what excuse he'd give his parents. It even made him so involved in his curiosity and imagination that he didn't notice Mabel's terrible 'stealth' as she followed him.

His Bill-induced confidence only faltered when he finally reached the park and realized--how was he going to find Bill? Dipper looked around the grassy hills but only saw a few trees scattered here and there, with no sign of Bill. If he was in the park, it was far too dark to see him.

That is, until he saw a bright light coming from the park's stage.

Now that just screams 'Bill,' Dipper thought. He began to run towards the park stage across the park, not noticing Mabel rustling in the bushes.

Once he got to the stage, he saw Bill in his regular clothes, playing slow scales on a piano and humming along with it. Bright but gentle stage lights lit up everything and made it look like a divine entrance to heaven, and having Bill there helped that effect.

When the blonde turned and saw Dipper, he grinned. He got up from the piano and walked towards the front of the stage, picked up a microphone and said, "I'e been waiting for you, Pinetree!"

"Yeah, uh, hi," Dipper said, smiling a bit. "So, what is this all about? Are you putting on a show?"

"Yep! But, I'm gonna make it quick, because I, uh, didn't exactly ask to use this stage...."

Dipper chuckled and rolled his eyes as Bill walked over to the piano and began to sing and play.

"I really wanna stop,

but I just got a taste for it.

I feel like I could fly

with the boy on the moon.

 

So honey hold my hand,

you like making me wait for it,

I feel like I could die,

walking up to the room."

 

Dipper found himself tapping his toes, and Bill started to play louder, more definite chords.

 

"Late night, watching television,

but how'd we get in this position?

It's way too soon,

I know this isn't love......"

 

Bill grinned and looked Dipper dead in the eye-- the boy turned red. "But I need to tell you somethin'!"

He stood up from the piano and a dark-haired girl Dipper vaguely recognized from school ran over and started to play as Bill sang, "I really, really, really, really, really, really like you, and I want you, to want me, to want me too!"

Bill repeated the words and motioned for Dipper to come onstage. Dipper shook his head at first but Bill kept staring at him, so he cautiously walked to and up the stairs the stage, and found himself being pulled only an inch away from Bill's face. His heart beat out of his chest.

Bill let Dipper go with a smirk and he dazedly looked out to a small group of people on the grass. That was embarrassing. Bill struck a pose and began to sing,

"It's like everything you say

is a sweet revela-ation!

All I wanna do is

get into your head.

 

Yeah, we can stay alone,

you and me and this temp-ta-sion.

Sippin' on your lips,

hangin' on by a thread.

Oh yeah....."

 

The space demon repeated the pre-chorus as more people came towards the stage. Once the chorus came, Dipper's stomach flipped as Bill began to spin and lift him in every direction and way. At first, dipper put all his mental and physical energy into making sure he didn't fall down or off the stage (which wasn't easy), but eventually he let lose and trusted that Bill would take care of him (again, Bill-induced confidence).

Bill stopped spinning Dipper around as as he sang his final, "I really, really, really, really, really, really like you, and I want you, to want me, to want me too!" He then pulled something out of his pocket and as he has he lifted it high in the air Dipper realized it was a smoke bomb. He threw it onto the ground, earning gasp from Dipper and 'oohs' from his audience as Dipper's eyes filled with purple.

When the cloud dissipated seconds later, it revealed Bill in a black-and-yellow tailcoat, a top hat, bowtie, and black gloves. He outstretched a gloved hand to caress Dipper's face as he sang,

 

"Who gave you eyes like that?

Said you could keep them?

I don't know how to ask

or if I should be leavin'.

 

I'm running out of time, 

going out of my mind,

I need to tell you something,

Yeah I need to tell you something...."

 

Bill vocalized and strutted the stage as the audience sang the chorus for him. At this point, Dipper was just frozen in awe at the spectacularity of the performance, and the buzzing in his stomach a the fact that Bill had just shown his invention to what seemed like the world.

"And I want you, to want me, to want me too!" Bill popped his hip and threw his arms in the air, doing jazz hands. the audience cheered and clapped furiously.

Dipper was frozen as Bill turned to look at him. He had such a huge smile, looking so proud, so hopeful, and dear god he was beautiful and then his lips were against his. Dipper kissed Bill as hard as possible, trying to take in all that beauty and release all this energy.

It wasn't enough. They pulled apart and the passion was still tumbling through Dipper as he looked into Bill's brown eyes, and it rolled through his lips as he said, "Holy shit, I love you."

It looked like something out of a fairy tale, at first. Bill was lifted into the air and began to slowly spin, his skin sparkling to the point that he was almost glowing. Dipper didn't know what to do or think. The space demon giggled like he was being tickled.

But Bill's skin grew brighter and brighter until it hurt Dipper's eyes to look at him, and the giggling became laughter, became maniacal, became completely distorted and demented....

The last thing Dipper saw was a bright beam of light bursting through Bill's skin, cracking it like an egg as the demented laughter turned to a piercing scream, before an unseen force threw Dipper through the air.

Everything went black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sue me, I always headcanon Bill as having an affinity for cheesy pop songs. Also, I wrote a decent cliffhanger for once. Wow.


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Dipper awakes, nothing is right.

When Dipper opened his eyes, his surroundings were completely different. Everything was white, and a flaming, red triangle shot balls of fire at what Dipper soon recognized as Mabel. Dipper watched hazily, unable to put everything together. The triangle, luckily, usually missed-- but very narrowly.  
It didn't take Dipper too long to realize that the triangle was probably Bill. He sighed and shook his head, attempting to get rid of the soreness. He couldn't do anything in this state.  
It was strange to think that Bill had been serenading him and flirting with him onstage just a minute ago--or longer, who knew how long he'd been out-- and now he was in a totally different form, completely crazy and attempting to kill his sister. Fear started forming in his head.  
Speaking of his sister, he was awoken from his thoughts by Mabel screaming, "I COULD USE SOME HELP HERE!"  
"Oh, shit!" Dipper said. He quickly pushed himself up, and though he stumbled a bit, fear and adrenaline were running through his blood and he could not be stopped. He ran over to where Mable was-- which was hard to tell, in this endless white abyss-- just as a fireball shot from Bill's hand. Dipper only just managed to grab his twin's hand and pull her away from its fiery path. He ran as fast as he could, dodging a few smaller fireballs above his head and behind his back.  
A fireball went whizzing by, and just when Dipper thought it had missed them, Mabel hissed and collapsed in pain. Dipper tugged his hand away and turned around. Dipper saw another fireball coming and dragged her away from it, then began to inspect the leg she was clutching. He removed her hands. The knee was burned to a crisp.  
"What happened?" Dipper said, rummaging through his pockets for anything useful.  
"A..... a narrow miss," Mabel said breathlessly, before yelping in pain again.  
"I... uh, okay, let me rip my shirt, to stop the bleeding." Dipper tore a large chunk of green fabric off his shirt, leaving half of his stomach exposed. He pressed it onto Mabel's burn and she screamed, leaving Dipper grimaced as her horrifying sounds filled his ear just as blood filled the piece of cloth. "Sorry," he said, tying the loose ends of the cloth.  
"So, what did I miss?" he said, hoping a response would stop Mabel's torture sounds. "Monologues? Revealing of an underlying evil plan?"  
Mabel shook her head, biting her lip in pain. "He hasn't said anything."  
Dipper ducked to avoid a fireball, and scooched the two of them over. "Really? That's very un-Bill-like. Like...... really un-Bill-like."  
"Yeah. Ugh....ah..... all he's done is growl and shoot firebALLS! OW! Like an animal. Like a bear...gaaaaaaaAHaaaaah... that can shoot fireballs."  
Dipper scowled and pressed down a little bit on the bandage. Mabel shrieked and more blood pooled. Bill had finally gotten his powers back, and could fulfill whatever plan he'd been hiding. Why wasn't he gloating shamelessly?  
Come to think of it, everything about Bill's behavior was abnormal. His shots were random and inaccurate. His single eye was blank. Weirdest of all, the surroundings were completely white-- a color Dipper knew Bill hated. Why hadn't he bothered to change it? Why was he acting in such an animalistic way? Dipper had so many questions, and unfortunately he could only think of one way to get answers. It involved risking his life.  
"Stay here, and stay low. Move as much as you can," he said to Mabel. She nodded, still panting in pain. Then Dipper turned, took a deep breath, and released it as he began to stomp towards Bill with a  determined scowl.  
Bill's blank eye swiveled towards him, and he raised a humongous red hand in preparation for a fireball. Dipper stopped where he was and surprised himself with the anger in his words. "Really? You're just going to burn up the guy you spent months flirting with? Seducing? The guy who just gave you back your powers?"  
Bill moved his hand, but shot the fireball anyway. It missed Dipper by several feet, giving him the confidence to continue moving towards him.  
"What's wrong with you, Bill?" Dipper asked in a half-angry, half-soft voice.  
Bill responded with another fireball, a bit closer this time.  
"Why are you acting like this, just randomly shooting? Where's your master plan?"  
He continued approaching Bill with no response. But though the flaming red triangle shot fire everywhere, he barely aimed for Dipper or even acknowledged him.  
This allowed Dipper to get close enough to Bill's fiery body to touch it. He felt no flames--perhaps they were an illusion-- and nothing happened at first. After a minute, though, Dipper felt an electrical shock in his hand. He pulled back and winced.   
"Aaaaagh, Bill, you know better!" he cried.  
The space demon only shot a fireball far off, vaguely in Mabel's direction.  
"You're..... you're not in control of yourself, are you?" Dipper asked.  
No response.  
"Alright, that's it!" Dipper moved over to the front of Bill's eye. A giant red orb was right in front of his face, but swiveled away. "Hey, look at me!"  
When he got none of Bill's attention, he smacked him in the eye. That got him noticed.  
"Yeah, that's right! Look at me! Remember me? I'm Dipper Pines. You spent the last three months seducing me. I made you some smoke bombs. We're pretty much dating. You took me to a flower garden on our first date.  
"Actually, of course you don't remember me-- you probably don't even remember yourself! That... sucks. You have a lot to remember. You were a pretty cool guy, before you went crazy. You're a really great flirt. You make horrible puns, and know a lot about science. You love explosions and pranks. You paly the piano beautifully, and you sing super cheesy pop songs... super, super cheesy....."  
Dipper wiped the tears stinging his eyes. Then he sniffled up running snot, and something miraculous happened. A little flicker of Bill's body-- his human body-- appeared in the beasts eyes. It looked like he was sleeping. Dipper gasped. "It's working. Bill! Bill! I'm going tog et you out!"  
"Bill! Do you remember that you love me? You... you do love me, right? I know that I love you. I love our laugh and wit and intelligence and hair and even your cheesy songs. Especially your cheesy songs. I wish you were still singing them, like you were before. It was fun."  
The fake flames around the triangle disappeared and he put his hand down before shooting a fireball.  
"I know it sounds crazy. Me, Mr. Dipper Stick-in-the-mud Pines, having fun. Liking your dumb songs. But you really make me happy, and you're almost always happy, too. That's why I'm so worried. You aren't having fun. C'mon, Bill, wake up. Get out of there. Just show me that your mind is still there and that we have some shot at--" He paused to sob a bit and sniffle. "Some shot at having fun again."  
Bill's body didn't react, but Dipper soon noticed a wetness on his hand. Tears had leaked from the beast's eye and onto his hand. He looked at the eye and Bill's body was there, clearly, tears streaming from his slowly-opening eyes.  
Was he crying?  
Before he got an answer, he was blinded by another bright light. This bright light was different from the last one-- it was warm, gentle and welcoming, and became even more so when Dipper felt a pair of arms around him.


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bill loves Dipper.

Dipper's surroundings were still white. This time, though, he heard no screams and saw no fireballs. he only felt the same pair of warm arm's that he'd felt before. Bill's. 

He looked to his right and saw Bill's face, two eyes closed and smiling, with a few tears on his brown cheeks. He was yet again human. "Bill," he whispered.

The space demon slowly opened his eyes, and let go of Dipper so he could look down at his hands. "Still human," he said, staring at his palms.

"You aren't upset?" Dipper asked.

Bill shook his head and chuckled a bit. "Nah, five fingers are better for playing piano."

"YOU COULD JUST USE YOUR POWERS," a loud voice said. Dipper yelped in surprise.

Bill, however, gasped in excitement. "I have powers?"

"YES!"

With a fiery passion in his eyes, Bill turned towards Dipper and snapped his fingers. Dipper looked down and found that he was covered in a lab coat. Bill began to whoop and cheer, before he noticed Dipper staring at him.

"What?" Bill said. "I'll give you some supplies so you can play the part. I can do ANYTHING now." 

With another snap, some gas tanks, beakers of chemicals, and balloons appeared. "You can make your little bombs?"

"Why don't you just make my little bombs appear?"

Bill laughed and jumped into the air, floating there.. "There's no fun in that!"

Dipper was shamefully grabbing hold of the gasses and balloons when the booming voice was heard yet again. "ALL THAT IS LEFT IS GIVING YOU YOUR ORIGINAL BODY AND SENDING YOU BACK TO YOUR DIMENSION."

Bill stopped making himself float for a moment as his face fell. "My.... dimension."

"YES. YOUR HOME."

"Oh." As Bill looked around, Dipper's gasses and balloons disappeared without any snaps or claps. Odd, Dipper thought.

"DO YOU NOT WANT TO RETURN HOME, BILL CIPHER, KING OF THE FIFTH PLANET FROM SIRIUS?"

"I do, but the human dimension has pianos and peeing and dancing and...." He bit his lip as he looked over at Dipper, who was studying him. "...and Dipper. Pinetree."

"YOU MAY STAY HERE, BUT NOT IN YOUR NATURAL FORM."

Bill took a deep breath as he stared at his hands yet again, then used a hand to grab one of Dipper's. "Then I'll stay human. I want to be with Pinetree."

"VERY WELL, BUT HUMAN BODIES CANNOT EASILY MAINTAIN YOUR POWERS AND YOU MUST LEARN TO CONTROL YOURSELF."

The space-demon laughed. "Pinetree's pretty good at that."

"It's true," Dipper said. "It's practically my job."

In an instant, all the white surrounding Bill and Dipper vanished. They found themselves in the park yet again, the pink sunrise peeking over the trees and tiny stage. Mabel was sleeping in the grass, sparkling with morning dew. It all seemed oddly peaceful for what had just occurred.

They started at the quiet park for a moment, hand in hand, before Bill mumbled, "Needs more chaos." He snapped the fingers of his free hand and made a piano with wings start circling them.

As the winged piano started to gently play 'All Star' by Smashmouth, Dipper asked, "So, what's next?"

"First off, I'm going to teach you some cool shit. You're going to see all sorts of awesome stuff."

Dipper scoffed. "You say that like you're the one who teaches me."

"What, are you suggesting that you, a mere human mortal, could teach me, an omnipotent being that has entire planets at their disposal?"

"Please. You didn't even know how to build a solar panel before I taught you. Or what a solar panel even was."

"Touche, Pinetree."

"Anyway, I think I should spend some time studying you and your powers, then begin to harness them in."

"Sounds like a plan. And you'll teach me more stuff about the human world?"

"As long as you show me 'cool shit.'"

"Deal."

The winged piano disappeared and they yet again, stared at the peaceful park. Bill's eyes wandered to Dipper, who was smiling. After all that had just happened, he was still optimistic, still obsessed with knowledge. After all that Bill had just done, Dipper still held his hand. A kinder, purer being had never existed, surely. Bill looked back into the distance.

"Dipper?" he said, staring at the sunrise.

"Yeah?"

"I love you too, you know."


End file.
